Back in the 2017 NBA Draft, the purple and gold took Lonzo Ball in No. 2 as a consensus All-American, and last night did the same but with Dalton Knecht with the 17th overall selection. Straight out of Tennessee, the player’s arrival has excited both coaches and executives in Los Angeles, as Rob Pelinka believes this was their best outcome.
“In my mind, there is no way a player like this will be available for us to pick on draft night,” said the Lakers vice president of basketball operations and general manager. “Across the board, just couldn’t be happier.”
The 23-year-old, who averaged 21.7 points on 49.9% shooting and 39.7% from the deep, is clearly a menace from range. After his lone campaign with the Volunteers, he quickly jumped to colleges in Colorado and finally Tennessee this March, when he led them to the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament.
OFFICIAL: Welcome to the Purple & Gold family Dalton Knecht! pic.twitter.com/IppO0fMMIh
— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) June 27, 2024
Many believed him to become a top 10 pick, especially after he scored 37 points in an elimination loss to No. 1-seeded Purdue three months ago, but somehow managed to go undrafted all the way into the Lakers’ hands. “If we would have had the 10th pick in the draft, we would have taken him,” Pelinka said. “So, to get that value at 17 is really extraordinary.”
Knecht later revealed that being snubbed off the top 10 somehow symbolises his basketball career. “Every time I touch a basketball or walk into a gym, I always feel like I got something to prove; and it doesn’t matter where I’m at, it’s always going to be there and have that chip on my shoulder for feeling like I’ve been underrated my whole life,” he said after being drafted. “So, it’s going to be something that I’ll carry with me for the rest of my career.”
Pelinka went on to say that Dalton’s skills as a movement shooter even remind him of JJ Redick as a player. The general manager then revealed that the new Lakers coach was already drawing whiteboards in the draft room with Knecht’s name on it.
“That’s really exciting,” the rising star said about Redick’s reaction. “At Tennessee, I watched a lot of JJ Redick with Coach [Rick] Barnes and just the way he moves and paces himself and was able to create space. So, hearing that, it’s really exciting, and it’s going to be real special.”
After the draft ceremony, Dalton was still in disbelief he would be sharing the court with LeBron James and Anthony Davis
Back in April, LeBron James mentioned Knecht’s name while discussing the popularity of women’s college basketball, explaining that it is the player’s raw talent that brings people to the arenas and increases viewership.
“We watched that Purdue-Tennessee game because of Zach Edey and Knecht,” the superstar said back then. “Players, depending on who they are, will drive the attention when it comes to viewership.”
Dalton later admitted that he couldn’t believe his eyes when he saw the video. “I remember that clip,” he told reporters. “I woke up and rolled out of bed and I thought it was fake because tons of people were texting me. I was just like, ‘There’s no way.’ And when I watched that video, it just brought a smile to my face. And also my parents, they called me right away and told me about it.
“So, that’s just going to be special. And it’s going to be fun just to be sharing that court with both of them, [Anthony Davis] and Bron. Bron’s one of the greatest. So, it’s going to be real special.”
